Final Exam
Our exam period will take place on Zoom, May 9, from 2-5 p.m. Location: https://virginia.zoom.us/j/4629103081
Short Version:
You’ll give a presentation on all your work for this semester. We’ll get a chance to see, all at once, the range of major themes/approaches across everyone’s bodies of work.
Long Version:
For your final exam, you will give a short presentation (7-10 minute) on the portfolio of work you compiled this term in the context of the thesis of your choice. (Heads up: I will cut you off at the 10-minute mark, for time’s sake.) Presentations don’t have to be super polished (you’re not being graded on presentation ability), but you should practice enough to make sure you can get all the content in under the time limit.
For your presentation, you SHOULD have a thesis/overarching claim. (See examples below.) Look over everything you did this semester and identify a specific theme that you selected or that emerged. For some of you, that theme will be obvious; for others, you may need to read over and see what you can identify now. Articulate your thesis in your first slide (or equivalent), then use your own writing pieces to demonstrate your claim. Include all of your major assignments for the term, as well as any process work or Forum posts you find relevant to your thesis.
Create a PDF OR a slideshow-style walkthrough of your portfolio. Place the final, “publishable” files in this Drive folder (create a subfolder with your name on it).
Collect the final, revised drafts of EACH of your final papers (1, 2, and 4—you can skip the presentations, since there were no revisions); remove your cover memos and all highlights; make them into PDFs; upload them to THIS folder.
Download this form, indicating which materials you choose to donate to Special Collections, and which you choose to withhold from donation. Sign and drop your copy of the form to your Drive folder.
Also complete this form, which lets me know how I can/can’t use your work in my own research and in future classes.
*Note: You should submit all materials for grading, even if you want them withheld from donation and other future use.
Some example* theses, to give you ideas:
*Feel free to use these or create your own.
Example thesis #1: “Throughout this term, I became increasingly aware of X [thing that’s been happening at UVA]; I explored that through A, B, and C. In my final project, I decided to address X by doing D.”
Example thesis #2: “I started out the semester wanting to look at X, and I did that in papers A and B. But in C I tried Y, and by D, I was ready to do Z.”
Example thesis #3: “I didn’t set out to focus on any particular theme or type of writing this semester, but as I read over my work now, I see recurring issues of X, Y, and Z. In the end, what I think I discovered/achieved/uncovered/etc. is . . .”
On Grading
You are basically being graded on completion at this point. You will receive 90% for meeting the minimum requirements as outlined above—submitting everything, and just talking it casually through during the exam period.
Students who go “above and beyond” in some way (making their presentation and/or donation stand out in terms of production value)* will receive 100%.
*Some possibilities for going “above and beyond” with production include
producing a polished physical version of a donation;
creating a short film version of the final presentation, mixing multimedia as exhibit pieces;
creating a high-end digital donation piece with attention to archival longevity;
creating a “performance” counterpart to a text donation—i.e., performing a series of poems on camera or in audio form, to accompany the written text.
Feel free to think of other creative approaches here, and feel free to consult with me for ideas on the direction you want to take.